Referencing Styles : Harvard The essay question •Fordism refers to the business model the Ford motor company had when its was one of the most successful companies in the world in the first half of the 20th century. I mentioned this in class repeatedly and in emails to students and video hook ups with students but I do so again here for the benefit of those who are still not sure about what is meant here. •Silicon Valley business model refers to the common attributes (elements) that one tends to see make up firms in Silicon Valley, California, USA. For instance, Google, Apple, Facebook. •Many firms based in Silicon Valley can also be described as having flexibility built into their business model. However, there are many firms not based in Silicon Valley that have flexibility built into them so if you wanted to use an example that was not Silicon Valley based but flexible then you can talk about other organisations from around the world you find interesting and which can be described as having a flexibile business model. •The literature on Moodle in the Learning Vault will give you further guidance. There are lots of articles there that you can use to complete your article. If you want to do further research you can do so but most will find the articles on Moodle sufficient. •When you define key terms you may do so based on something you found in an article. However, you can also derive definitions based on your readings and the arguments you develop in your essay. That means you don't always have to find an article that says exactly what you need and then cite it. Indeed, the stronger students already know this and have figured out this is a good way of getting distinctions and high distinctions. •Elements can also mean characteristics or dimensions or attributes of a business model. I only ask you to talk about three in the essay. Authors differ in how many elements make up a business model. The business canvass model, which is what we have been learning for when you work in a real firm, suggests there are nine elements. However, as I said, you only need to talk about three. More than three is not necessary but you can talk about more. •If you don't own the Business Model Canvass book by Osterwelder and Pigneur (prescribed reading) then the following video is a good proxy for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o8uYdUaFR4 - It is also hyperlinked for you in the Learning Vault (at the bottom). •When you talk about the elements of your example, you should focus on what it is that makes the organisation you chose especially successful. A few elements will stand up depending on the organisation you chose for your example. Every student will end up talking about something different because firms are so different. •The future of business models is something you need to talk about based on your findings at the end. A good conclusion ties arguments together, makes clear what makes them coherent and compelling, among other things